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Conservation Success Index

A Strategic Approach to Fisheries and Watershed Conservation

Trout Unlimited developed the Conservation Success Index (CSI) in order to become more strategic and effective in our conservation efforts. Using the CSI, we can quantify and map the conservation status of all native coldwater fishes so that comparisons of existing condition, threats, future security, and management opportunities can be made across watersheds, river basins, and entire species. This enables us to deliver conservation in context.

The CSI integrates population data from various assessments completed by state and federal agencies with spatial data on habitat and threats gathered by TU scientists to create a common analytical framework applicable to all coldwater fishes. The basic components of the CSI include 20 indicator variables that describe the range-wide condition, habitat integrity, population integrity, and future security for all subwatersheds that historically or currently contain native trout. The variables can be modified slightly to accommodate analysis of anadromous species as well as rivers and upstream contributing watersheds containing wild, non-native trout populations.

The basic components of the CSI can be combined to provide a first-tier identification of the most important opportunities for protection, reconnection, restoration, reintroduction, and monitoring. These opportunities should then be refined based on knowledge of local conditions. TU staff also provides a variety of second-tier CSI analyses for identifying Native Fish Conservation Areas and understanding risks and opportunities associated with small population persistence, metapopulation development, climate change, energy development, and invasive species that help to further inform management decisions.

The CSI provides relative scores of conservation status for subwatersheds.

Keeping faith with TU’s vision of providing fishable populations of coldwater fishes for future generations requires action that is proactive, strategic, and effective over the long haul. We invite you to examine the interactive maps, publications, and supporting data in this website to help achieve this vision. This website is frequently updated as new assessments are completed and new CSI analyses become available.

Trout Unlimited would like to acknowledge the following groups for their support in development of the Conservation Success Index: The Hewlett Foundation, The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, ESRI Conservation Program, supporters of TU's Coldwater Conservation Fund, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, and all state fish and wildlife agencies in the CSI coverage area.